Latest Sharing Economy Headlines

All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Uber Faces Hike in London License Fees, in Latest Blow for Ride-Hailing Firm

Apr 21 2017 // Taxi app Uber could face an increase in operator license fees in London under proposed changes by the city’s transport authority, the latest in a series of moves by regulators to rein in a firm that has disrupted the...

Florida Battle for Ridesharing Regulations Nears End of Long Road

Apr 21 2017 // After a four-year battle in the Florida Legislature, lawmakers on Wednesday passed statewide regulations for ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft that would undo a patchwork of local rules across the...

CoverHound Launches Online Rideshare Insurance Offering

Apr 20 2017 // CoverHound is getting into the rideshare insurance business. The online insurance comparison shopping platform has partnered with several large carriers to offer auto insurance quotes in 24 states for people who drive for...

Uber Sees EU Growth Despite Impending EU Court Ruling, Denmark Setback

Apr 19 2017 // Uber Technologies sees opportunities to expand in the Europe Union, despite withdrawing its ride-hailing service from Denmark and facing the possibility of an EU court ruling that could mean tougher rules for the firm, an...

Airbnb Sues City of Miami, Alleges Violation of Hosts’ First Amendment Rights

Apr 18 2017 // The homesharing platform Airbnb is suing the city of Miami, where officials threatened to crack down on hosts who publicly protested regulations prohibiting short-term rentals. According to the lawsuit filed Friday in...

Missouri Senate Passes Statewide Ride Hailing Regulation Bill

Apr 13 2017 // Missouri Senators has passed a bill that would expand regulations for transportation companies such as Uber and Lyft — a measure that legislative leadership and Gov. Eric Greitens have called a job creator and an...

Uber Scoffs at Google Spinoff’s Claims in Self-Driving Car Case

Apr 10 2017 // Uber is scoffing at claims that its expansion into self-driving cars hinges on trade secrets stolen from a Google spinoff, arguing that its ride-hailing service has been working on potentially superior technology. The...

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Seattle Law Allowing Ridesharing Union

Apr 7 2017 // A federal judge in Seattle, Wash. has temporarily blocked the city’s first-in-the-nation law allowing drivers of ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft to unionize over pay and working conditions. U.S. District...

Representatives of Rideshare Companies Push for Oregon Regulations

Apr 7 2017 // Representatives for ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft are pushing a bill that would ensure the state of Oregon regulates them instead of individual cities. The Eugene Register-Guard reported representatives said at a...

Uber’s Biggest SE Asia Rival, Grab, Buys Indonesian E-Commerce Platform

Apr 3 2017 // Grab, Uber Technologies Inc.’s biggest rival in Southeast Asia, will acquire Indonesian e-commerce startup Kudo for an undisclosed amount, striking its first deal since pledging to invest $700 million in its largest...

MAPFRE Insurance to Provide Coverage for Massachusetts Rideshare Drivers

Mar 31 2017 // In an important move aimed at protecting Massachusetts drivers, MAPFRE Insurance will be among the first insurers in the state to offer gap coverage to auto insurance policyholders using their personal cars to drive for...

Police Report on Uber Self-Driving Car Crash Tells Complex Tale

Mar 30 2017 // A recent crash involving an Uber Technologies Inc. driverless car suggests autonomous software sometimes takes the same risks as the humans it may one day replace. The accident on Friday in Tempe, Arizona, caused no major...

Self-Driving Car Crash in Arizona A Reminder about Regulation Challenges

Mar 29 2017 // A crash that caused an Uber self-driving SUV to flip onto its side in a Phoenix suburb serves as a stark reminder of the challenges surrounding autonomous vehicles in Arizona, a state that has gone all-in to entice the...

Uber Resuming Autonomous Car Program After Crash

Mar 27 2017 // Driverless vehicles operated by Uber Technologies Inc. were back on the road in San Francisco on Monday after one of its self-driving cars crashed in Arizona, the ride-hailing company said. Uber’s autonomous vehicles...

Uber Tells U.S. Appeals Court in New York Customers Must Arbitrate Disputes

Mar 27 2017 // A U.S. appeals court in New York on Friday weighed arguments over whether Uber Technologies Inc. customers gave up their right to sue the company when they registered for its popular taxi hailing service. The case could...

Uber Halts Autonomous Vehicle Testing After Arizona Accident

Mar 26 2017 // Uber Technologies Inc. is suspending its self-driving car program after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a high-impact crash in Tempe, Arizona, the latest incident for a company reeling from multiple...

Airbnb at Odds with Miami Mayor Over Homesharing Regulations

Mar 22 2017 // Airbnb and other home-sharing platforms face more restrictions in Miami, where the mayor plans for more aggressive enforcement of regulations prohibiting rentals of single-family homes in its residential areas. Amid spring...

Seattle Law Allowing Driver Unionization Survives Uber Legal Attack

Mar 20 2017 // Seattle’s first-in-the-nation law allowing Uber Technologies Inc. drivers to unionize survived a legal challenge by the ride-hailing company. Washington state Judge Beth Andrus rejected Uber’s arguments that...

Steamin’ Hot Markets: Cyber, Sharing Economy, Active Shooter, Construction, Mergers and More

Mar 20 2017 // Cyber Sharing Economy, Active Shooter, Construction, Mergers and More Insurance Journal examined industries experiencing changes, challenges, expansions and growth in the past year. For 2017, experts predict the U.S....

California Judge Approves $27M Driver Settlement in Lyft Lawsuit

Mar 17 2017 // A U.S. judge has given final approval to a settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit against Lyft Inc., ending a legal case that challenged the independent contractor status of the ride-hailing service’s...